Root Canal Therapy: Does it Hurt?

If root canal therapy is successful, then the tooth does not need to be removed. Generally, root canal therapy is needed when the dental pulp is badly infected either because of an injury, or because of progressed dental decay. Sometimes, dental filings might leak and then cause an infected tooth pulp which will need root canal therapy.

Root canal treatment is quite a dreaded type of therapy, but with today’s available equipment in the dental office, you shouldn’t feel a thing. For extremely anxious or phobic patients there is dental sedation available, and by simply inhaling nitrous oxide you will not even remember the procedure.

The most important part of a root canal treatment, is attempting to cleanse the root canal system of the bacteria that caused the infection on the first place. When these bacteria are eliminated, the next step is to fill the root canal, then seal the tooth with a filling or a dental crown.

Dentists use local anesthetics when performing root canal treatments, so you should not be afraid of any pain. Decades ago, when there were not so many and so powerful dental anesthetic procedures available, a root canal therapy has been indeed torture.

Typically, the pain or the discomfort that you will feel can be likened to a dental cavity filling procedure. If you can bear that, you can definitely bear to go through root canal treatment which will save your biological tooth.

After the root canal therapy is performed, you need to be very careful with your tooth. You should avoid biting on hard foods, chewing intensely using that tooth, in order to allow the tooth to heal naturally.

Root canal therapy costs are quite expensive, because the treatment in itself is complex. However, you should check out the available dental discount plans and see if you can get a reduction in the fees. Or, make sure to check with your insurer to see how much will be covered for a root canal treatment.

Dental care is generally expensive, but if you pay attention to a rigorous dental health regimen at home, unpleasant treatments such as root canal can be avoided.